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Save our trees with Progresso pencils



Progresso woodless colored pencils from KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH have been on the market for over 80 years. Their popularity has not diminished even after all these years, and everyone who has ever drawn with them has come to love not only their colourfulness, but also the many advantages that the so-called Progress pencils have over ordinary pencils.






The main difference between an ordinary colored pencil and a Progresso colored pencil is the lead core. The Progresso's lead core is not covered with wood, it is only varnished, which makes the lead core up to six times the volume of those in ordinary colored pencils. In addition, they contain a higher quality pigment that leaves a beautifully rich trace.





Did you know?

  • Thanks to the volume of the lead core, you can draw twice as cheaply with Progresso as with regular colored pencils.

  • The current production of Progresso saves at least eleven 100 years old trees every month. A tower made of that many Progresso pencils would reach low Earth orbit.

  • Buying Progresso instead of regular colored pencils would save four 100 years old trees every day. Such a production of Progresso would weigh more than an adult elephant.

  • With Progresso pencils you are able to use a wider area while drawing, as you can use the full lenght of the lead core after peeling off the varnish.

  • Progresso pencils are easier to sharpen and you can get a sharp point up to twice as fast.

  • This is a traditional product from the heart of Europe since 1939.




You can find a full range of Progresso products consisting of several types of this popular art medium in our stores or on our e-shop. However before we introduce the different types of this product, let's take a look at the talented artists who love working with this medium.






We were very interested in the work of Polish artist Bartosz Gorczyca. You can follow his work for example on Instagram. Bartosz draws portraits of celebrities as well as ordinary people.





Not to be missed are the artworks of the artist Ralf Scholz, who excels in a large number of art techniques, and Progresso pencil is no exception. He uses them mainly for the study drawing of a human figure and other subjects.




Classic colored Progresso pencils, or pastels in lacquer, can be purchased individually or in sets.


We also offer gradation Progresso pencils. These are lacquered graphite pencils in sets from the hardness degrees HB to 8B. You can even find a little extra bonus in the form of a water soluble pencil Progresso in some sets.




However, the water soluble Progresso pencils are not just a bonus of grading sets. You can find them in our offer under the name of watercolour Progresso. As was the case with the classic type, they are available for purchase individually or as a set. Compared to the standard product, it is therefore possible to blend the drawing with water.







There is a special kind of Progresso pencils as well available which are called Magic. These are pencils with a tri-colour core - 3 shades of colour in one pencil. The pencil therefore creates a multi-coloured trace that changes by rotating the tip. It can be especially used for colouring larger areas where several shades of one colour are alternated, e.g. grass, sea, etc. Thanks to the three-colour core, the resulting effect of the drawing is more plastic than with a classic pencil.








At the end we can not forget the fluorescent Progresso pencils available in the set of 6. These pencils have clear bright colours and the entire section consists of a drawing lead.


We are glad that you use KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH products for your artwork and please keep tagging us on Facebook and Instagram where we share more interesting information and news with you.




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